


Gauntlets and Greaves Week

by DesdemonaWrath



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, Theme chapters, and implications, gng week prompts, mature for drinking, mercury destroys a happy marriage, other tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2019-03-30 02:58:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13941129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesdemonaWrath/pseuds/DesdemonaWrath
Summary: Various prompts or at least participation for GnG week.





	1. Kismet

**Author's Note:**

> First meetings
> 
> Or alternatively, Mercury destroys a marriage.
> 
> Also, Kismet and Cliches abound.

Stupid snow. It had a way of ruining perfectly good plans. She was stranded now in an airport thousands of miles from home and several hundred miles from her destination. Her fiance had wanted to elope in some sunny tropical country with sand and beaches. Lucky for him, he had made it down the day before the snowpocolypse hit. He said it was to find the ‘best location’ for their intimate ceremony away from all the people they loved. Silently, she cursed him for even considering leaving without her. It hadn’t been her fault she got caught up with work.

Of course, when they had gotten the news, she called to let him know. A few misplaced words only managed to fan the flames of annoyance into full-fledged anger. She hadn’t intentionally meant to take the mood out on her beloved. However, she couldn’t help but blame him for being stuck there. Soon, unrelated flaws and frustrations flooded the conversation, ending with him hanging up on her after telling her to go back home. Hushed, angry words drove her crazy while she sat in silence. Part of her was thankful for the fact that there was a mostly empty terminal she could claim.

While in the middle of texting her best friend for sympathy, a guy sat near her. She side-eyed him with distrust as he bit into a pretzel stick and played on his phone. He looked like something out of the cheesy romance novels her best friend read, the bad boy the heroin tamed. Handsome and a face made for a smirk or endless brooding. It took a moment of her watching him to realized he had noticed. Pale lilac met a dark slate. It was an even longer second before she broke the gaze and looked back at her phone. She heard him rustle the bag of snacks at her and turned to glare.

“Here. You look like you are going to murder your phone.”

She looked between the bag and his face, irritated even more by the smirk he wore, “No thanks. My dad told me never to take food from strangers.”

He chuckled, “I highly doubt it was in those exact words.”

“You don’t know my dad.”

The bag shook again. She huffed and started texting again to try and ignore him. He chose to laugh at her annoyance, “Come on, Blondie. You want me to eat one first? They aren’t poisoned. I’m being nice.”

“I take it that’s not a common occurrence?”

“Ouch. I’m hurt. You are so mean to a good samaritan? Do you kick puppies too?”

She let out a groan of frustration, “God. Do you ever shut up?”

“Please. God is so formal. Just call me Mercury.” The smirk on his face made her wish she had something to throw at him.

“You are obnoxious. Go away.” She swatted the bag away. “Go bother literally anyone else.”

Mercury shrugged, pulling the bag closer and pulling out a few of the sticks, “You are the only one who looks interesting. And I’m bored.”

She rolled her eyes, “Gee. Thanks. Glad to be entertaining. What are you? Twelve?”

“Eh, I honestly think it’s closer to eight some days.”

“Oh my God. Will you leave me alone?”

“Are you not bored? We are snowed in a big empty airport with nothing to do for the next who knows how many hours. Are you seriously just gonna sit there on your phone?”

“Well, I was trying to.” A pretzel bounced off her chest and she looked at him indignantly. “Did you just throw food at me?”

The smirk returned, “What are you going to do?”

“You are a literal child.”

“No. Literally, I’m acting like a child. You mean that metaphorically.”

She moved to get up, yanking the bag with her, “I’m done.”

“Aw, wait. Don’t you believe in cliche romances? This could be destiny.”

“No. I really don’t think it is. I’m getting married as soon as I get to where I was going before your destiny interrupted my dream wedding.”

He laughed, “If that isn’t a sign, then I don’t know what is. Obviously you shouldn’t marry him.”

“Goodbye, Mercury. Leave me alone.” She turned to walk off, only to feel another pretzel bounce of the back of her head. When she spun around, he was grinning at her. “You are harassing me.”

“Ah, yes. But you keep engaging. Come on. What’s the worst that could happen? We kill boredom until they get the runway cleared and never see each other again?” She hesitated and he chuckled. “Sit. We can play twenty questions or something.”

“You really are a child, you know that?” She frowned, sitting down. “An annoying, overgrown toddler.”

Mercury offered the bag of pretzels again, “But you are engaging again, so you must be either amused by me or just as bored as I am. Either way.”

She took a few from the bag with a sigh, “You start to bore me even more and I will actually leave.”

“Alright, alright. Twenty questions. What is your name?”

“Twenty questions? That wasn’t a joke?”

He pointed a pretzel at her, “That’s not how the game works. I asked the first question. Then you get a question.”

She groaned and he threw the pretzel at her. “Fine. It’s Yang. Yang Arc. Why did you decide to start harassing me?”

“You looked like you needed a distraction,” he said while shrugging. “What happened to your hand?”

She looked down at the metal coming from the sleeve of her jacket and frowned at it. “Motorcycle accident. Are you always this nosy when it comes to complete strangers?”

“Only with the cute ones,” he joked. “Where are you headed?”

“Somewhere far away from you with sun and a beach. You?”

“Somewhere infinitely less fun than harassing you.” It was her turn to toss a pretzel at him. “Are you going to start doing that now?”

She smirked at him, “Only if you keep sharing them.” When he laughed and held the bag out again, she took a few more. “Why are you going somewhere infinitely less fun?”

“My… friend asked me to visit.” The answer was guarded and carefully watched in comparison to the rest of them. “What made you decide to marry this guy?”

There was a hesitation as she just stared at Mercury, “I feel that’s a very personal question.”

“If you can’t tell me, Blondie, then why are you marrying him?”

“Because I love him.” A pretzel hit her face and she glared. “I answered your stupid question.”

He smirked, “No. You answered the rhetorical question. What made you decide to marry him?”

There had been many reasons, she wanted to say. He had been through so much with her. He made her smile. He saved her from herself. But each one wasn’t a true reason to marry someone.

“You okay in there?”

She shook her head, “He’s been my best friend since we were kids. And he didn’t abandon me when it got hard. I can’t help but love him.”

“Friends to lovers is such a cliche.”

She scoffed, “Like you are one to talk, Mr. It Might Be Destiny.”

He threw another pretzel, “Hey. This is how they do it in every Romance novel, movie, and anything else. Kismet and shit.”

She managed to catch it before it hit the floor, “Why are you so into the idea of cliche destiny tropes but not friends to lovers?”

“Because it isn't as boring. And you don't seem like you should fall in love in such a boring way.”

“Shut up, Mercury,” Yang laughed. “You are such a dick.”

“Yeah. That’s not the first time I’ve heard that.” He watched her, amused. “Is he everything you thought you’d marry when you were a little girl?”

“I actually never wanted to get married. His mother was the one who was pretty determined to see it,” she shrugged. “She wants a billion grandkids too.”

“Did you only agree to marry him for his mom?”

There was hesitation. “Maybe. And now I get two questions.” He raised his hands in submission. “Why are you so insistent on trying to make me second guess my relationship?”

He shrugged, “Not trying. But, if you are projecting that onto me, then maybe you need to think about it.”

Yang glared at him before getting up. “I’m done with this. I love him. No stranger is going to make me question it, no matter what would happen in a movie. Why are you such an asshole?”

He watched her with those dark eyes, “Because marriage is stupid. And it only leads to more bullshit down the road. Why are you so scared of answering questions about your relationship?”

“Because I shouldn’t have to explain myself to a stranger. Just because you are a jaded asshole doesn’t mean you get to try and change my mind.” Her bag found her shoulder. “Don’t you believe in fate or something?”

“Destiny. And I think it’s something you create for yourself. You shouldn’t just marry someone because their mom thinks you should. Have you even been with anyone else?”

“Why does it matter to you?”

“It doesn’t. But you are defensive as hell about it. So, do you feel obligated to love him? Or do you really never want to live without him?”

“I don’t know!” she yelled. “I don’t know, okay? I wasn’t the one who wanted to get married. I am not the one who wants kids. I’m content with just coming home and heating up leftover pizza and watching stupid TV shows with someone I feel no pressure with. I don’t want forever, not like this. But I love him. So, I’m going to make him happy. Because that’s what he deserves. He’s done so much for me. I can’t ever give him enough to return the favor.”

“You are marrying him because you feel obligated to make him happy.” She stopped short at his paraphrasing. There was a long silence before she looked away. He nodded and stood. He gently put a hand on her arm. “Then you shouldn’t marry him. It’s not a chore. It’s not something you should do because he wants it if you don’t. You would be stupid to.”

“It’s probably not happening anyways,” she finally responded quietly, leaning in some to his hold. “He told me to go home rather than go join him.”

Mercury shrugged, “Then go home.”

She shook her head, “I don’t want to go home. I don’t want to get married and I don’t want to be trapped. I just, I just want to disappear and not deal with this any more.” 

“I’ve got a couch you could sleep on if you really want to disappear.”

She let out a half-sobbing laugh, “You and your stupid cheesy romance novels.”

“I’m serious. Take a few weeks away. Think about this. If he isn’t okay with that, then that should be your answer.”

“I shouldn’t listen to the advice of some stranger in an airport.”

“Did your dad tell you that too?” He chuckled. “Sound advice. Good advice. Go somewhere safe. Take time for you and think about the relationship. Until then, sleep it off.”

She nodded before pulling away from his hand, “Thanks, Mercury.”

“Don’t mention it, Blondie.”

When she woke up, he was gone. She had found his number on the back of her ticket but no trace otherwise. Life had to continue and she made her decision. She sent two text messages and waited for the plane bound to a place of sand and sunshine.

[To Jaune: I’m not going home. I’ll call you when I’m ready to.]

[To Mercury: You left me. Aren’t I supposed to run away with you?]

There wasn’t a response from either of them. But it didn’t take long for a hand to be outstretched in front of her. Mercury smirked, “I thought you didn’t believe in cheesy romance destiny.”

"Well, someone convinced me of kismet and shit."


	2. Birthdays Require Tequila

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang can't remember what happened on her birthday. Or why her pillow is moving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, tequila prompt that I did along with SassyUnicorn7 (who is amazing and seriously go read their stuff. Like, holy shit, dude.)

When she woke up, her head was throbbing. She had known better than to drink with everyone. Most of them tended to encourage her. Others took no pity on her. But it wasn’t entirely her fault. Her friends tended to buy a couple of rounds. Then guys would try and get her drunk to take her home. The constant stream of drinks rarely got so out of hand. But, they had been celebrating her birthday. She wasn’t turning down any of them.

A rundown of the night before was spotty at best. Memories of arriving at the restaurant were thoroughly intact. Weiss had made sure they had a driver for the night so a couple there. Hitting downtown came after. The bars they kept waltzing in and out of honored her birthday with shots. Of course, it had to be shots. She remembered bits and pieces after the first three bars. Dancing with several people, flirting with more, and a stunning lack of her friends filtered in. Then there was the vivid feeling of lips on hers, intense and demanding. But, the person on the other end of it couldn’t be deciphered.

Hot and over-dressed, she shifted to kick off blankets she somehow didn’t shed during the night. She must have been extremely intoxicated if she hadn’t even bothered to strip out of the tee shirt and jeans. The pillow she had chosen to spoon protested with a rather tired grumble at her sudden rustling. A hand grabbed hers gently, a silent plea for her to still and go back to sleep. A plea she promptly ignored.

“Wha-” She began, shoving herself away. Sleep was driven from her mind with the sudden mystery. However, the headache kept the important memories from being anything more than fuzzy. There was too much clothing to be a one-night stand. It wasn’t her sister or her best friend. Why did she bring some random guy home with her?

There was a groan as he went with the push, “I was sleeping.”

“Mercury?! Why are you in my bed?”

“You told me that you’d make me breakfast if I got you home. Did you really think I would pass up food?”

Yang whined, “Yeah. But, I’m hungover.” She shifted back towards him.

“That’s not my fault, Blondie. You were the one who decided to drink an entire bottle of tequila by yourself.” Dark eyes met hers, made softer by sleep. “By the way, that was really impressive what you did to the waitress. I doubt she’ll forget it.” There was a hidden laugh in his tone while he watched her.

“Shhh. Shut, shut up. Shut your face.” Her hand went to cover his mouth but hesitated when the last comment kicked in. “What did I do to the waitress?”

He shrugged. She glared and shoved the blankets at him.

“Asshole.”

He pushed the blankets away, unable to contain that infuriating smirk. “Hey, you were the one who suggested she come home with you. Instead, you brought me.”

Yang rolled her face into the pillow, mumbling, “You shut up. Your voice is making my head hurt.”

“Pretty sure that isn’t my fault either.”

“You being cocky and infuriating doesn’t help.”

“I wasn’t the one who accepted every drink offered to me.”

“You didn’t stop me.”

“You are a big girl.”

“It was my birthday and I just wanted to have fun.”

“You certainly did that. And then some.”

“Why are you such a dick? I should have been rescued from creepy guys who just wanted to get laid. Who could have laced my drinks.”

“See? I did that. And you aren’t paying the reward you promised me.”

“You aren’t making me any less hungover.”

“Looks like it sucks to be you, Blondie.”

“You are so fucking annoying. I will murder you when everything stops spinning.”

He laughed and sat up, “Yeah. Good luck with that. I’ll go grab a trash can, Lush.”

The weight of him left her bed and she groaned again. Nothing from the night before seemed to make sense. With him gone, she could attempt to piece together what little she remembered, trying to place him in the fragments.

He joined them around bar five or six. How was lost, but they had playfully bickered as he sat across from her. A comment of ‘I like you better drunk’ stuck out in her mind. A response followed, though whether the ‘I like you better when I’m drunk’ was said out loud or only thought she would have to ask.

She called him pretty after they left. He told her that she was drunk.

He grabbed the tip of her tongue after she stuck it out at him for some smartass comment.

She’d asked him to take her home after her friends had abandoned her. He didn’t say anything when he saw how sad she was at the realization.

He kissed her in the back seat of the cab, pulling away and teasing her about a contact buzz.

She whined as he took off her boots and made her drink water before bed.

She begged him to stay. He didn’t hesitate.

The throbbing in her head didn’t stop, but with the realizations, she sat up. The room spun but she moved her feet over the side and waited. It took longer than expected for him to come back to her, but there was toast and the bathroom trash can - cleaned out and relined, she noticed.

With no tact, she blurted out, “You kissed me.”

“Of course. That you remember.”

“Why?” She asked, genuinely confused. It was no secret how much they butted heads when she was sober. He tended to rub her the wrong way just by existing. And yet... 

He shrugged a response before offering the small plate, “Eat. Food is helpful. So is water. I’ll find pain killers.”

Yang took the plate with one hand, reaching out to catch his wrist. When he looked her in the eyes, he looked torn. The plate went to the nightstand as she tugged him closer. “Look. I’m sober. Hungover, but sober. Why are you doing this?”

“Yang,” he sighed. “You just… You looked so pitiful. I was trying to make things better. I thought you’d get all mushy again. I don’t do emotional stuff.”

She gave a faint smile, “You could have just started in with puns. I love those.” She earned a look. “Come on, Mercury. You can’t stand me.”

“You really don’t believe that, right? Yang. I think you are one of the most annoyingly perfect person I’ve ever met.” She hesitated and he took advantage by pulling his hand away. “I kissed you because you were sad. And I wanted to be the one to make you smile again.”

“Kiss me again.”

The words seemed to shock both of them. She was usually so forward, but the weird bickering and flirting they tended to do made more sense. His words meant nothing. They were just a distraction from what should have been said months ago when it stopped being angry. Her response wasn’t to them, but what lay beneath the superficial.

“You don’t need cheering up this time.”

“I said. Kiss me. Again.”

The smirk was only punctuated by her reaching out to tug on one of his belt loops. There was a slight stumble as he nearly fell into her from the sudden jerk. A knee braced him at the top of the mattress. It wasn’t hard to take advantage of. With a surprising display of grace, she tugged again and pulled him into her lap. There was no fight as his second knee came up to the other side of her thigh. The faintest grin came when his hands found her shoulders and hers his side. He gently drug fingertips up her neck, pausing only to curl a stray lock around his fingers before pushing it behind her. The light affection continued up to her jaw, where it stopped to let his thumb brush her cheek. Eyes pulled away from her lips to meet hers.

There was a nervous, charged energy that was just waiting for a point of contact to detonate. The flutter of her heart made it hard to breathe properly and she noticed she was having the same effect on him.

“Well? I’m waiting.”

The sudden return of his smirk lived only long enough for him to pick up where they left off the night before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it seems like everything I'm doing for this prompt week is going to be short and I'm sorry in advance. I haven't had a day off in two weeks, and on Sunday (my only day off for the foreseeable future) is going to be spent at a birthday party for my 2 year old niece and one of my best friends. I promise I am working on it and will try and upload every day (or dump updates like I did today.)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry. Just. I'm sorry. I completely scrapped my first draft of first meetings and this was written in like an hour. With no actual revision.


End file.
